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The Drastic Shifts Free Agency Caused to Chicago Bears Draft Needs

Several needs heading into free agency have become far more pressing as signings took place and the draft has drawn nearer for GM Ryan Poles' team. Here are the new needs ranked.
Gene Chamberlain|
When Tyrique Stevenson is the best Bears option at starting cornerback after last season, it's apparent they need help at the position.
When Tyrique Stevenson is the best Bears option at starting cornerback after last season, it's apparent they need help at the position. | David Banks-Imagn Images

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Chicago Bears

While the Bears led the NFL in interceptions and takeaways last season, it became increasingly apparent their defense lacked speed at several positions.

GM Ryan Poles addressed this in free agency with linebacker Devin Bush and safety Coby Bryant, and with these moves as well as their backup signings at defensive tackle, things have shifted.

The need for speed remains the same but additions made and the existing cache of talent forms a different landscape than the one the Bears faced before free agency.

Poles has said he doesn't change his approach to the draft.

"Philosophically I feel the same," Poles said before free agency even began. "It's gonna be the best player available. I know that might not be the most popular thing because people see, like on my board, I have yellow tags where we need to fill in, but at the same time, I do believe—especially in the early rounds—one, you've really got to stick to best player available.

"We saw that last year. I know there was a lot of questions, you've got Cole (Kmet), why would you take Colston (Loveland)? I think we found out that it helped us along the way. We'll continue to lean into that philosophy."

Taking this into account along with what happened so far in free agency, the Bear' priority needs appear to have changed.

1. Safety

They're lacking a starter. The Poles practice has always been adding enough veteran help to keep from being entirely reliant on rookies to start immediately but they haven't done this at safety. Cam Lewis is a dime safety and slot cornerback, and not a full-time starter. Jaquan Brisker's replacement comes to the top of the charts. 

It doesn't necessarily mean they take a safety in Round 1 but it better be the first two rounds and their first three picks where they find this player. After that immediate production becomes less likely. Brisker came to the Bears in Round 2 and became a Day 1 starter. They need this again and the alternatives on the roster are just not there.

2. Cornerback

This might be the shocker for everyone, but Bill Barnwell of ESPN summed up existing Bears needs coming out of the first week of free agency correctly when he cited the secondary as their biggest need.

"The Bears probably still need to add a starting cornerback and a safety comfortable playing in the box between now and the start of the 2026 season," Barnwell wrote.

The reason cornerback might seem shocking is it wouldn't have been at the top of the list when they still had Nahshon Wright, but the let him leave when they could have retained him at about $6 million a year. This just shows they didn't seem to think too much of a player who allowed six touchdown passes and the third-most passing yards in the NFL when targeted last season despite all the takeaways he produced.

It's already apparent what they think of Tyrique Stevenson. He becomes the starter out of necessity now, but they wouldn't even start him last year over Wright when both players were healthy late in the season.

The options after Stevenson are anything but dependable. Backup Terell Smith is coming off knee surgery, second-year player Zah Frazier hasn't even practiced, let alone played in games. His college experience was against smaller school opponents and junior college talent.

Yet, they loved his speed. He's so raw, even defensive back whisperer Al Harris would have a hard time bringing him up to starting level quickly. This would be a longer-term project and Frazier will already be 26 years old this season.

A high-level college cornerback is a necessity for the future and possibly even for this season considering where Stevenson's past has often taken him with the Bears.

3. Edge

While it's third, their inability to sign a free agency or trade for someone makes it apparent they must add someone of quality as a rotational player at the very least. They might even need to add two edges in the draft yet or one in the draft and a free agent.

It's entirely reasonable to regard Austin Booker as a starting-level edge. It's ideal for younger players to work in behind a better veteran but Booker already proved he can handle this in December and the playoffs. After Booker and Montez Sweat, you need to squint really hard to see their next-best options from among injured Dayo Odeyingbo, Shemar Turner, Daniel Hardy, Jamree Kromah, Jeremiah Martin and Jonathan Garvin. Expecting Odeyingbo and Turner to contribute anything until a few weeks into the regular season seems like pure fantasy after their surgeries. This is especially the case with Odeyingbo and an Achilles tendon tear. 

The Bears need to shore up their run defense above all else but at defensive tackle they at least have taken strides by signing three healthy veteran backups behind starters Gervon Dexter and Grady Jarrett. And if Turner is actually healthy, he plays both tackle and end.

Ultimately, edge rushers not only pursue the QB but also have key roles stopping the run.

4. Center

Starter Garrett Bradbury is a bridge. Now they need someone to connect the bridge to, and this explain the interest shown in late Day 2 and early Day 3 types for the draft. Bradbury's one-year deal says the clock is ticking so someone else needs to be ready.

5. Defensive tackle

If the right dominant defensive tackle falls into their laps and top edges are gone--and this could very well happen--then they shouldn't hesitate to take the best athlete because a defensive tackle is still a need. And good ones are hard to find. Also, Poles said the supply of elite defensive tackles will vanish before the edge rushers do. So you get one while the supply is best, but it doesn't mean the interior is more important than end or vice versa.

It's just that prioritizing reveals more veteran options being available to them right now on the roster at tackle than end.

It seems a steep fall or defensive tackle to go from a primary need to fifth on the list, but consider this: When Dennis Allen was Saints defensive coordinator and head coach, they never had a defensive tackle who could have been regarded among the elite. Sheldon Rankins was probably their best and he had one really good statistical season in 2018 before injuries and a departure for the Jets in free agency. They had plenty of edge players, DBs and linebackers who led those defenses, though.

Just like with slot receiver and move tight end in Johnson's offense, there are some positions more necessary to make the scheme work and defensive tackle hasn't been a priority for Allen unless it was a lineman who moved between edge and tackle.

6. Linebacker

Adding Jack Sanborn placates fans who become too attached to players but doesn't really give them the speed they require from this position. The only speed they added was Bush. Noah Sewell's return from an Achilles tear likely will be too late for him to be a part of plans for the season's start. Ruben Hyppolite II is a complete unknown after he washed out as a rookie. T.J. Edwards is coming of a broken leg suffered in the playoffs. 

7. Running back

The Bears are one injury to veteran D'Andre Swift from relying on a seventh-round running back with 4.6-second speed to be their main guy. Kyle Monangai worked fine as a "Knuckles" but if Swift isn't there as "Sonic," then they have no one in the breakaway threat role. Roschon Johnson sure isn't it, and none of their other backs can be regarded as speed types.

And Swift is a free agent after this season. 

8. Wide receiver

A receiver with world class speed and even kick return ability must be regarded as a need. It's the one thing Johnson requires to complete the set but also a luxury at this point.

9. Tight end

The third guy, a blocking tight end, is missing entirely from this roster and they used three tight ends 8% of the time last year. There are plenty of untested candidates available on the roster.

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.

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